In short
- Lost pet: Tell your council's ranger team straight away, and again when your pet is found, then mark it missing on NSW Pet Registry, then post on the map and the local groups.
- The pound: Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, 69-83 Sir Joseph Banks Drive, Kurnell NSW 2231, Shelter open 8am–5pm daily; reclaim appointments by phone. Council guidance in NSW is 14 days for a microchipped animal and 7 days for one with no chip and no known owner.
- Found dog: Check for a collar tag and take the dog to a vet or ranger to scan for a microchip. Report the found dog to the local council; its rangers can take it in. Do not keep the dog without telling the council, as the owner may be searching.
- Found cat: Cats may be taken to a local facility depending on the suburb; ask your council.
- Keys, wallet, phone: Sydney City Police Station, report items left on trains, buses and ferries through the transport for nsw online lost property form, and a lost or found pin on Rangr Dangr for anything on a street or beach.
Lost pet
Tell your council's ranger team straight away, and again when your pet is found.
Check your details on the NSW Pet Registry and call your vet to flag the chip.
Contact local vets and Sydney Dogs and Cats Home on 02 9587 9611.
Door-knock your street and post a photo and description in local lost pet groups.
Visit the shelter in person; descriptions over the phone can be missed.
The pound
| Where | Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, 69-83 Sir Joseph Banks Drive, Kurnell NSW 2231 |
| Hours | Shelter open 8am–5pm daily; reclaim appointments by phone |
| Phone | 02 9587 9611 |
| Holding | Council guidance in NSW is 14 days for a microchipped animal and 7 days for one with no chip and no known owner. |
| To go home | Pay the release and maintenance fees, show ID, and the animal must be microchipped and registered before it goes home. |
NSW Pet Registry. Check your contact details are current on the NSW Pet Registry, and report your pet missing there.
Found a pet
A dog
- Check for a collar tag and take the dog to a vet or ranger to scan for a microchip.
- Report the found dog to the local council; its rangers can take it in.
- Do not keep the dog without telling the council, as the owner may be searching.
A cat
Cats may be taken to a local facility depending on the suburb; ask your council. Take an injured cat to a vet if you can capture it safely.
Lost keys, wallet, phone
| Lost it… | Check |
|---|---|
| On a street, park or beach | A lost pin on Rangr Dangr at the spot, and the map's found items layer. Surf clubs and kiosks keep a box too. |
| Handed in to police | Sydney City Police Station, 192 Day Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Phone 02 9265 6499. |
| Train, tram, bus or ferry | Report items left on trains, buses and ferries through the Transport for NSW online lost property form. Sydney Trains items go to the Central Station Lost Property Office after 7 days, 02 9379 3341, Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Sydney Light Rail is run by Transdev on 02 8584 5288. |
| The airport | Sydney Airport runs a lost property service for items lost in the terminals, free at T1 and T2, and unclaimed goods are sold at its annual auction. |
| Shop, pub or café | Ring them. Most hold property for a few weeks before handing it to police. |
| Taxi or rideshare | The app’s lost item form, or the taxi company’s lost property line. |
Found something
- Keys, a wallet, a phone, a bag: post a found pin on Rangr Dangr naming the item and the street, but not what is inside it. Hand it to Sydney City Police Station if nobody claims it within a day or two.
- A bank card: cut it up or hand it to any branch of that bank. Never post the number.
- Licence or Medicare card: the police station, or a government service centre.
- A bike or scooter: police, with a photo and the serial number.
Posting on the map
Rangr Dangr is a live, neighbour-powered map. It started on the streets of Newcastle and works anywhere in Australia: the more Sydney neighbours on it, the better the heads-up. Lost pets and found items are two of its layers. Double-tap the map where it happened, choose lost pet or found item, add a line and a photo if you have one, and everyone browsing that part of Sydney sees it for the next 24 hours. A Still there tap keeps it up longer.
Locals also post to: NSW Pet Registry missing pet report, Sydney Dogs and Cats Home.
Good to know.
My dog is missing in Sydney. Where do I look first?
Tell your council's ranger team straight away, and again when your pet is found. Check your details on the NSW Pet Registry and call your vet to flag the chip. Contact local vets and Sydney Dogs and Cats Home on 02 9587 9611.
Where is the Sydney pound?
Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, 69-83 Sir Joseph Banks Drive, Kurnell NSW 2231. Shelter open 8am–5pm daily; reclaim appointments by phone. Council guidance in NSW is 14 days for a microchipped animal and 7 days for one with no chip and no known owner.
I found a dog in Sydney. What do I do?
Check for a collar tag and take the dog to a vet or ranger to scan for a microchip. Report the found dog to the local council; its rangers can take it in. Do not keep the dog without telling the council, as the owner may be searching.
Where is lost property handed in around Sydney?
Sydney City Police Station at 192 Day Street, Sydney NSW 2000 takes handed-in property. Report items left on trains, buses and ferries through the Transport for NSW online lost property form. Sydney Trains items go to the Central Station Lost Property Office after 7 days, 02 9379 3341, Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Sydney Light Rail is run by Transdev on 02 8584 5288. Sydney Airport runs a lost property service for items lost in the terminals, free at T1 and T2, and unclaimed goods are sold at its annual auction. For anything lost on a street or beach, post a lost pin on Rangr Dangr and check its found items layer.
Post it where the neighbours look.
Lost pets and found items on a live map of Sydney streets, seen by the people walking them. Free, in your browser.